Monday, April 11, 2011

Branding

While doing research for my project I came across this website called Uno Branding.

http://www.unobranding.com/

I had just seen images of their work floating around the internet, but being able to go to their website was even better. I am fascinated with this idea of Hispanic Branding. I am currently taking Art and Design III where we work with the client and we have to work with creating an identity for our clients. This is where my interest sparks from. However, relating it to my project, I feel that as a designer I need to look at what I am tackling, the Hispanic Branding. This is a topic I need to address as for my final project I want to create some kinds of work that will help the Midwest Latinos identify more with being a Latino living in the U.S. This website provides different approaches to what being "Latino" is. It has Chicano ideas (Chicano is a Mexican American), and what companies use for advertising. They show an example of Target, Coors, and celebrated holidays. This is the thing that is perfect for my project.

Now, at times I struggle on whether branding a culture or race is ever offensive or just a way to make the sales? Could a brand or design ever really capture that? That is why my recent work is trying to address and tackle these issues.

15 comments:

The website has so many colorful designs. Branding of course is something that I have always been interested in. Now, as for your question about being offensive, I read how colors can be extremely important. People have strong feelings about color, and can send nonverbal cues to consumers. The meaning of colors do not always transfer across cultures. The same color in one culture and country may not have the same meaning than in another culture and country. So color can be highly offensive. This really did not cross my mind until looking at the website you gave us and then doing a quick search about branding being offensive. Great topic!

I was in A&D3 last quarter with Zack. Our group was assigned to the PRAA (Puerto Rican Arts Alliance) located in Humbolt Park. They offer after school and summer programing for children who want to get in touch with their Puerto Rican heritage. You should check them out!

I don't feel that branding for a specific culture is offensive. Every culture has its own style, interests, and needs and I think it is necessary to market specific items that are important to specific cultures. What Hispanics are interested in are not necessarily what Europeans are interested in and its good to let each culture know that you understand their identity.

I don't think that branding for a particular culture/race/ethnicity is inherently racist -- in fact I think it's more inclusive because it recognizes that even though we're all similar as human beings, there are also differences between groups that should be acknowledged (without putting a moral value on those differences). Part of why I love going to Filipino/"Oriental" stores is because those stores specifically cater to those of my cultural heritage -- I get a societal acknowledgment there that I don't usually get from the mainstream culture.

It's really about how the branding is represented/centered. If it uses stereotypes without somehow turning those stereotypes around or negating the power of those stereotypes via something else (like the use of irony), it's probably going to be offensive.

There's definitely a way branding can be offensive - a lot controversy has come out of brands like Hennessy and Colt 45 mostly or exclusively putting their billboards in black communities; more recently, a pro-life campaign targeted specifically at low SES black women has angered a lot of people. But branding and marketing is always toward a target group. We don't call a lot of mainstream branding "white marketing," but that's what it is, as if being white is somehow default.

I don't think that the idea of branding or marketing to a specific demographic (racially/culturally) is racist, but I do think that there is some risk of offending some people. I think that is where good branding and marketing skills come in, to know how to reach out to a specific group without offending and actually reaching out.

Like it seems most other people are saying, I don't believe branding a culture or race is offensive at all. Essentially what Lauren said, all branding is targeted specifically to SOMEONE, we as a society just don't necessarily pick up on branding targeted to people of our own race, ethnicity - because they're doing a good job of targeting us!

This is a great site for your topic for class it definitely fits with what you are trying to explore since you talked about how you feel that you are in both worlds of being Mexican and American. I don't feel that branding for a culture or race is offensive either.

Very interesting, after reading this post and all the responses it is clear exactly how many different factors are on the line with this topic and how different interpretations and spawn so many outcomes.

your topic is something that has many factors to consider, especially that of the reaction of the culture you are referencing. But, I feel you have a good sense of perspective for the project and in the context of your mediums, like greeting cards, would be a more inclusive gesture (like Steph said) than something offensive.

Branding is something you have to look at from many angles. I think that you are allowed to make things aimed at specific cultures or ages as long as your not disrespectful to anyone not fitting the group your aiming for.